The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1887-04-15
HOW MADGE PAID THE DOCTOR.

Father had been sick a long time, three
years Madge thought, although it had not
really been more than that many months,
but then Madge was little thing and a
month to her seemed as long as a year to
most people. She remembered the day
though, for mother, crying, had told her
father had failed and she must be good
child and help him to bear it. No one ex-
planned the meaning Of failed to her, so she
had thought then and continued to think
that failing was strange disease which
took the color from fathers face, gave him
that dreadful cough, and made him so
weak he had to lie on the sofa nearly all
day long, with the doctor coming every
morning and shaking his head grayely at
him for being no better. They did not
move away from their pretty home as at
fist they feared would be necessary, but
Madge noticed many changes, and while
her tongue was silent her brain was very
busy. First the servants disappeared and
mother did all their work, helped occa-
sionally by her elder daughter when she
could be spared from the school where she
taught. Then, they sat no more in the
pleasant sitting room, it was too cold, for
one morning the fire had gone out and it
was never rekindled, mother shaking her
head sadly when Madge wanted to try her
hand at lighting it. There was always q
warm fire in fathers room, and he never
knew the fires were ont in all the other
rooms in The house except the kitchen
Many q time Madge could have cried with
the pain in her little cold fingers, but she
tried to laugh instead. and mother called
her n brave little girl. Christmas had
come and gone. Such n sad Christmas,
no tree, no stocking, only for Madge there
were five hi. silver dollars from god
mother who never forgot her. And now
rs New Years Day drew near a shadow
came upon mothers face, reflected on the
fair young brow OF the elder daughter, and
the doctors tread in the hall would deepen
ii.
One night Aladge heard her mother
say to her sister ''iIc does not know our
circumstances, lie sees your father kept in
comfort and does not realize it takes our
all to accomplish it. | cannot see how we
can ever pay him. And yet your father
would have died without DOCTOR Then
the tears had been wiped hastily away at
the sound of her husbands voice calling
her. Madge crept from her corner to her
sisters side.
What is the matter, Alice? Why does
mother cry?'
you would not understand, Madge.
eyes | would, too; you always think
can't understand things"
why should you be worried when you
cannot do anything to help?"
Il do help Madse said Indignantly,
Il dust fathers room and watch his fire,
and run errands for him.
TO be sure yon do, you are regular
little busy bee; but meant help in this
trouble.
''But, Alice, tell me, please tell me, |
don't want to be left out Of all the bad
times
''Will you promise not to breathe it be-
fore father?''
''Of course, Alice. | will not tell father
anything to worry him.
"Well, mother is afraid DR.. Smiths bill
will be very large, he has been to see father
money to pay lin. If father knew it it
would break his heart, for we never had
a bill before in all our lives we could not
pay'-then seeing the little girls face
clouding over sadly, she kissed the rosy
lips-''there, Madgc, do not worry your
little self, you cannot help us, so run away
and forget your troubles in dream-land. !"
There was no running for Madge that
night, slowly she crept up the stairs and, in
spite of the cold, stood 10y the window a
long time thinking. If the doctor was not
paid he would not come any more, then
father would find ont about the bill and
grow worse and worse. Somebody must pay
him, the money must come from some
where, and she seemed the only person to
do il, for there in a little bank upon the
shelf the five dollars were quietly reposing.
Could she possibly give them up, there
were so many things she wanted and the
money was all her own. Perhaps it would
not take all that to pay the bill; five dollars
seems great deal of money when they
are in silver; there might be some change;
she had often seen mother pay bill and
get money back she called change. But
then Alice had said it would be big bill;
she had better make up her mind to give it
all; and before Madge crept into bed the
question was settled that tomorrow the
money should find its way into the doc
tors hands and the cloud he lifted from
mothers face.
The morning found her resolution UNI
changed, and as she trotted along by
Alice's side taking her morning exercise
she determined to lose no time. The sis
tiers parted with kiss at the usual corner,
and then it was expected that Madge
would go directly home, but to-day SHE
turned down another street and was soon
standing with beating heart upon the
1oorstanS az tl,e doctors hnuSa whera she